The Covenant
(Prepare for major Covenant loredump) "Creatures of the Covenant: the path is broad, and we shall walk it side by side!"— The High Prophet of Truth" The Covenant, also referred to as the Covenant Empire or Covenant Hegemony, was a religious hegemony of multiple alien species that controlled a large portion of the Orion Arm in the Milky Way Galaxy. Originally a mutual alliance between the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili, the Covenant expanded to include at least six other species united in the worship of the Forerunners and the Halo Array. They waged a genocidal campaign against humanity until they were defeated in December 2552. Despite being one of the most powerful military forces in the known Milky Way galaxy at the time, internal conflict combined with stubborn human resistance were formidable enough to shatter the bonds that held the empire together. While the Covenant Empire ended either during the Flood infection of High Charity or during the Battle of Installation 00, a number of remnant factions, some of which maintain many of the ideals of the Covenant's religion as well as many of its former subject species, continue to exist after the conclusion of the war. History History of The Covenant: *The First Age: Ignorance and Fear. *The Second Age: Rivalry and Bloodshed. *The Third Age: Humility and Brotherhood. *The Fourth Age: Wonder and Understanding. *The Fifth Age: Obedience and Freedom. *The Sixth Age: Faith and Patience. *The Seventh Age: Journey and Salvation. "— Maccabeus and the Jiralhanae of the Rapid Conversion." Foundation At some point before the San'Shyuum encountered the Sangheili, the Huragok were found by the San'Shyuum in various M-series facilities. In 938 BCE, the San'Shyuum Reformists, aboard the Forerunner Dreadnought and the planetoid that would come to be known as High Charity, entered a Sangheili-occupied system that led to first contact between the two alien species. The San'Shyuum, who came to Sanghelios in order to claim and study the rich abundance of Forerunner artifacts left behind, soon found themselves sharing different ideologies of how such relics should be treated, which quickly devolved into conflict between the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili. The Sangheili believed that Forerunner relics were sacred and should not be touched, while the San'Shyuum Reformists believed that they should be studied and use them to make practical objects of their own design. The highly militarized Sangheili attacked the San'Shyuum almost as soon as their differences became apparent, and a war between the two species raged for eighty six years. At the start of the war, the Sangheili had a numerical advantage in terms of ships and soldiers. Their strength and military tactics were without peer. However the San'Shyuum's technology, gleaned from years of travel and study of their Forerunner Dreadnought, gave them the advantage in ship-to-ship combat. This proved to be the most common type of combat witnessed during the war. Eventually both species came to fear a very real threat: annihilation. The Sangheili feared it through the San'Shyuum's use of their unstoppable Dreadnought; and the San'Shyuum came to admit that if the Sangheili were this dangerous, there might be other forms of sentient life far more threatening to their race. The long and brutal war caused the Sangheili to violate their religious beliefs, studying and incorporating Forerunner technology in order to avoid defeat. This incorporation of Forerunner technology eventually caused a stalemate in the war against the San'Shyuum, however their Dreadnought remained unstoppable. Faced with this bitter reality, the Sangheili surrendered. With a proud tradition as warriors, the Sangheili held great respect for a worthy adversary, and after their surrender, the San'Shyuum sought to seek a burgeoning Covenant of the two races. In 852 BCE a tentative truce was worked out between the two species through the Sangheili leader, Pelahsar the Strident, and the San'Shyuum Breaking Shadow. The two agreed to forgive the past crimes of their species and began efforts towards an alliance. This eventually came about with the signing of the Writ of Union, a treaty that ended the conflict and brought about peace between the two factions. Contact and Conversion "Most of those we encountered in our search were compelled to join our Union. To take part in a movement that promised freedom for allegiance, salvation for service! — The Prophet of Regret" The conclusion of the conflict marked the First Age of Reconciliation, followed by the First Age of Conversion. This period was exemplified by the Covenant's expansion throughout the galaxy. In 784 BCE, the Lekgolo were encountered by the Covenant on Rentus, a natural satellite of the Lekgolo homeworld of Te. Upon the discovery that many of the Lekgolo worm colonies had literally devoured Forerunner artifacts and installations, a large-scale military conflict began. The Lekgolo initially proved difficult to defeat because of their ability to combine into the powerful Mgalekgolo, however due in part to their superior spaceship technology the Covenant was able to ally with the useful Lekgolo and the species was indoctrinated into the hegemony. In the year 1112, the Covenant discovered the Yanme'e, an insectoid race with an interplanetary civilization. First contact was violent as both sides took heavy casualties. However, it was the Covenant who fared worse in these battles. Ultimately, the San'Shyuum discovered a way to communicate with the Yanme'e, and subsequently incorporated them into the Covenant by way of a treaty. In 1342, the Covenant arrived in the Y'Deio system and encountered the Kig-Yar. Both Kig-Yar pirates and Eayn's militia joined forces in an attempt to fend off the Covenant military juggernaut. The war between the Covenant and Kig-Yar forces culminated in sieges of redoubts on the asteroids surrounding their world, however the asteroids proved to be beneficial to the Kig-Yar. It was difficult for the larger Covenant ships to maneuver through Y'Deio's abnormally dense asteroid belt, while Kig-Yar forces could use the asteroids for hiding. Eventually, peace was reached between the Kig-Yar and Covenant. The Kig-Yar joined the Covenant, essentially as mercenaries, and earned commissions from the Ministry of Tranquility to engage in the services of the Covenant. The Unggoy were easily inducted into the Covenant as a labourer race in 2142. In 2462, the Unggoy Rebellion began after the Ministry of Concert refused to punish Kig-Yar shipmasters that were rendering Unggoy populations infertile as petty revenge for the displacement of Kig-Yar nests. The Unggoy proved to be vicious, determined and competent fighters and an Arbiter was ultimately needed to quell the rebellion. This Arbiter ordered the glassing of Balaho, and in response the rebellion ended before much damage could be done, leaving the planet's surface intact for the most part. The Sangheili integrated the Unggoy into formerly Sangheili-only units and armed them with Covenant weaponry. The Jiralhanae were fighting a civil war on their homeworld when they were discovered in 2492. While some gladly joined the Covenant, others were unwilling at first. Nonetheless, they were quickly defeated and absorbed into the Covenant. In between the Ages of Conversion and Ages of Doubt, members of the Covenant grappled with internecine conflict. War with humanity "Your destruction is the will of the Gods... and we are their instrument.— The Covenant's first transmission to humanity, after the glassing of Harvest." During the 23rd Age of Doubt, the Covenant encountered humanity for the first time on the planet Harvest. While many within the Covenant's leadership felt that this new race would make a welcome addition to the hegemony, the newly-appointed Hierarchs of the Covenant—Truth, Mercy, and Regret—had other plans. The Hierarchs were aware of humanity's status as the Forerunners' chosen inheritors, and knew that revealing this information to the Covenant would lead to the Covenant falling into chaos. Greater than the cultural significance of the invalidation of the Great Journey, the leading San'Shyuum knew the truth about the Forerunners would lead to the loss of their personal power. As a result, spurred on by a violent incident following the first human-Covenant contact, the Hierarchs declared humanity an affront to the gods and demanded that their entire species was to be exterminated. This decision would spark a war that ultimately would crumble the very foundation of the Covenant's religious and political alliances. The Covenant began a genocidal campaign against humanity, seeking out their worlds one by one and wiping them clean of all life. If the colony was especially important, they would scorch the planet's entire surface and mark it with a glyph of their religion, in a process known as glassing. The United Nations Space Command was able to slow the Covenant's progress through the Cole Protocol, and by launching major offensive strikes at key military locations, as such with Operation: TORPEDO, albeit with great sacrifices. With the execution of the Cole Protocol, the UNSC also managed to prevent the Covenant from locating the human homeworld, Earth, and other important Inner Colonies for over twenty years. After decades of struggle, some Sangheili within the Covenant began to question why humanity was not offered a chance to join the Covenant as other races had. Despite their losses, humanity proved a determined and brave enemy. They were especially troubled by their soldiers called Spartans, who were more than a match for them in battles and often killed thousands of Covenant by themselves. While these idle heresies did not halt the Covenant's military progress, doubt began to surface as to the wisdom of the Prophets' ultimate goals; a doubt that was carefully observed by the spies of the Hierarchs. Notably, a major break-off faction known as the Banished was created by Jiralhanae Chieftain Atriox as a result of his disgruntlement with the Prophets' rule, and proceeded to persistently raid Covenant supplies for years while the Human-Covenant War raged on. After the massive, one month-long battle with heavy casualties for both sides, the Covenant delivered a serious blow to the UNSC as they suffered crippling military losses in a campaign known as the Fall of Reach, and also, the Battle of Tribute. After the UNSC stronghold Reach fell to the Covenant, they made a discovery of tremendous significance: a single UNSC vessel, the Pillar of Autumn, had made a supposedly blind jump away from the battle, inadvertently leading the pursuing Covenant fleet to the location of one of the seven Halo rings. The Covenant's celebration following the discovery of this prized relic was short-lived, however, as after landing on the ring Covenant soldiers accidentally released the dormant Flood. A small group of UNSC forces—among them the fearsome, enigmatic soldier known to Covenant forces as "the Demon"—managed to destroy the ring by detonating the Pillar of Autumn's fusion engines. Thel 'Vadamee, the Supreme Commander of the fleet present at Halo, was branded a heretic for his failure to save the ring, although he was subsequently appointed an Arbiter. Shortly after the destruction of the first Halo ring, the High Prophet of Regret accidentally stumbled upon the human homeworld, Earth, while looking for evidence of Forerunner artifacts. Ill-equipped for a full-scale invasion, Regret managed to launch a brief assault on the African city of New Mombasa before his assault carrier escaped by making an in-atmosphere slipspace jump. Whether blind or intentional, this jump led the Prophet of Regret and the pursuing UNSC frigate In Amber Clad to a second Halo ring. A brief military conflict between UNSC and Covenant forces ensued, during which time Regret met his end at the hands of the Demon. The ring itself was nearly activated, but was stopped by UNSC forces. During the events on the second Halo, the two remaining Hierarchs used the Sangheili's failure to safeguard Regret as an opportunity to replace the Sangheili with Jiralhanae as their protectors and military leaders. The two Prophets had doubts about the Sangheili's loyalty to the Covenant cause, and used the opportunity to ensure that there would be no future dissidence in the Covenant. However, this move greatly angered the Sangheili, who threatened to resign from the High Council. Civil War Following the death of the Prophet of Regret, the Prophet of Truth gave the Jiralhanae command over the Covenant's fleets. Once there were enough Jiralhanae in positions of power, Truth secretly ordered them to commit genocide on the Sangheili. The Sangheili Councilors, who had been summoned to the Control Room of Installation 05 to witness the commencement of the Great Journey, were either assassinated or imprisoned by Tartarus and his Jiralhanae. The rest of the Sangheili revolted, enlisting the help of some of the Mgalekgolo and Unggoy. While Truth had orchestrated to remove the Sangheili from power with the more easily manipulated Jiralhanae, the Prophet underestimated the speed with which his former protectors would recover from this initial attack. A massive battle ensued within High Charity and the surrounding space, beginning a civil war known as the Great Schism. While High Charity was consumed by internal conflict, another crisis struck that sealed the doom of the Covenant's holy city. The Flood-controlled UNSC frigate In Amber Clad made an unexpected slipspace jump inside the dome and crashed into one of the towers, initiating a full-scale infestation of the city. The Prophet of Mercy was killed during the Flood attack, with Truth leaving him to die while he made his own escape. The city and its millions of inhabitants were completely overrun by the infestation, becoming a massive Flood hive. This loss came at the worst possible moment in the Covenant's campaign against humanity, crippling their already exhausted and now divided forces. However, these losses, among another factors, helped to form a tentative alliance with the Sangheili and humanity. The Arbiter Thel 'Vadam had discovered the truth about the Halo rings, and with the help of several of In Amber Clad's human crew members managed to prevent the second ring from firing and defeat the Jiralhanae forces defending it. While one group had initial conflicts over the Forerunner world of Onyx, the Sangheili under the command of Rtas 'Vadum joined with the UNSC in order to mutually defeat the Jiralhanae, Truth, and the Flood. This alliance was initially uneasy, but the two species gradually learned to cooperate as their reliance in battle increased. Truth escaped in the Forerunner Dreadnought, then used to provide power to High Charity. However, SPARTAN-117, the infamous Demon, managed to fight his way aboard the Dreadnought right before it took off. While the Covenant fleet orbiting the holy city began to do battle with each other, the Dreadnought managed to enter slipspace and retreated to Earth. Final Push Despite the loss of High Charity, the Prophet of Truth and his loyal Jiralhanae-led forces continued their pursuit of the Great Journey. They concentrated all of their available forces on Earth, near the former site of New Mombasa, Kenya, in order to claim the Forerunner artifact that the Prophet of Regret was originally looking for: the Portal at Voi to the Ark. Truth arrived in his Dreadnought and landed in the middle of the portal that his ships had uncovered, preparing for the moment of ascension to the next step. While the UNSC managed to inflict casualties upon Truth's fleet and the Covenant forces on the ground, it was not long until the UNSC forces on Earth were almost completely exhausted. Despite the UNSC's attempts to stop him, Truth successfully activated the portal and the Dreadnought retreated through, accompanied by the remaining loyalist fleet. Momentarily delayed by a small-scale Flood infestation on Earth, the UNSC and their defected Sangheili allies followed Truth's fleet through the portal to the Ark, intent on stopping Truth from activating the Halo Array. Upon arrival at the Ark, Truth barricaded himself inside the Citadel, the control center for the Halo rings, and prepared to initiate the Great Journey. However, the UNSC and Sangheili forces eventually broke through the defenses around the Citadel despite heavy resistance from the Covenant loyalist forces. Ignoring the arrival of the Flood-infected High Charity which immediately began a widespread infestation of the Ark's surface, the UNSC-Sangheili alliance launched an immediate last-ditch assault on the Citadel. Although Truth's forces mobilized all of their available assets to prevent their enemies from reaching the Citadel, they were defeated after a swift battle. SPARTAN-117 and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam formed a temporary alliance with the Flood and forced their way to Truth. In his final moments, the Prophet of Truth managed to initiate the Halo rings' activation sequence, although his victory was short-lived as John-117 and the Arbiter soon made their way to his location. The Spartan cancelled the activation before the rings could fire and the Arbiter killed Truth in vengeance, finally stopping the Covenant once and for all. Splintering With the Prophet of Truth killed, and most of the loyalists' known fleet destroyed by the Sangheili fleet above the Ark, the Covenant as an entity was all but destroyed. Following Truth's death at the hands of the Arbiter, the remaining San'Shyuum, their population reduced to near extinction, went into hiding and have not been sighted by the Sangheili since. The rest of the former member races scattered. While Thel 'Vadam succeeded in forming a new government known as the Swords of Sanghelios based on their homeworld, the Sangheili, having renounced the Great Journey, began to fight amongst their own ranks over the particulars of their faith, some forming their own splinter factions. Most of the Jiralhanae continued to oppose the Sangheili until at least 2559, although some Jiralhanae chose to serve under their former masters. Many Kig-Yar returned to their ancient ways as raiders and traders, and most Huragok were thought to have fled, though no one knew where. Many members of the former Covenant also sought asylum on Earth, most notably in the city of Rio de Janeiro. In the wake of the dissolution of the Covenant, many individual commanders sought to seize control of the hegemony's former military assets for themselves, many of them forming disparate fiefdoms claiming to be the Covenant. Others retreated from active involvement in interstellar affairs, maintaining the ships and weaponry for defense of their own lands. With large portions of the Covenant's infrastructure in shambles, intact ships in particular were considered a valuable commodity among the Sangheili. While many former members of the hegemony discarded the Covenant's religion in favor of more pragmatic pursuits, others continued to adhere to the core tenets of their former religion, namely the worship of the Forerunners as gods. The Banished amassed a considerable degree of power in the aftermath of the Covenant's destruction. All assets of The Covenant, now belong to High Councillor V. Species The Covenant is made up of a variety of alien species from different parts of the galaxy. Organized into a caste system by the San'Shyuum, the different species of the Covenant are united by their blind faith in the promise of the Great Journey. In addition to the core member species listed below, there are a number of peripheral client species—known collectively as the Covenant fringe—that were never fully integrated into the Covenant, though some provided various advantages to the hegemony. However, not every species encountered by the Covenant was deemed worthy of even providing them with conversion in exchange for services, though their worlds still fell under Covenant control. These species were poorly documented by the Sangheili and have not been contacted nor cataloged by the Unified Earth Government, even after the Covenant's fall. San'Shyuum The highest political caste in the Covenant, the San'Shyuum, or "Prophets" as they are known by humans, led the Covenant and exerted complete control over all religious and political affairs. Though physically weak, Prophets wielded power through absolute command of the Covenant and through scavenged Forerunner technology, leaving the task of conquest to the Sangheili and the other races. Along with the Sangheili, the San'Shyuum had members on the Covenant High Council. Sangheili The Sangheili, or "Elites" as they are known by humans, served as the military leaders of the Covenant before the Great Schism. Along with the San'Shyuum, the Sangheili were one of the two founding races of the Covenant, and were the only race other than the San'Shyuum to have members on the High Council. The Sangheili are the only race within the Covenant permitted to build and command starships within the Covenant, though the crews are always composed of a mix of races. Jiralhanae The Jiralhanae, or "Brutes" as they are known by humans, were the most recent addition to the Covenant, and served as soldiers and bodyguards within the Covenant military until their promotion during the Great Schism. Although initially of low status within the hierarchy, the Jiralhanae gained greater prominence within the Covenant prior to the Great Schism, with the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, Tartarus, answering to the Hierarchs themselves. After the Sangheili were deposed, the Jiralhanae were given command of the Covenant military. Lekgolo/Mgalekgolo The Lekgolo are a race of worm-like creatures that can combine to form large, intelligent assemblages called Mgalekgolo, known by humans as "Hunters". Clad in nearly impenetrable armor and armed with their trademark Assault Cannon, they served as the Covenant's heaviest ground troops. Many of these creatures joined the Sangheili during the Great Schism Unggoy Hailing from Balaho, the Unggoy, or "Grunts" as they are known by humans, were the most common and low-ranking caste of the Covenant. They breathe methane gas, and thus must wear a large tank on their back full of methane to survive on other planets. Relations between the Unggoy and the Kig-Yar are strained in the best of times. Many of these creatures joined the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae during the Great Schism. Kig-Yar The Kig-Yar, or "Jackals" or "Skirmishers" as they are known by humans, were the scouts and marksmen of the Covenant military due to their superior senses. They were among the lower Covenant castes and are about 6'2" tall. Yanme'e The Yanme'e, or "Drones" as they are known by humans, are flying, insectoid species that served almost exclusively as engineers in the Covenant Empire. They were eventually replaced by the Huragok, and were used as aerial combatants against the UNSC, who are inexperienced at fighting airborne infantry. Huragok The Huragok, or "Engineers" as they are known by the humans, are an artificial species created by the Forerunners. They only conversed with the San'Shyuum or individuals who learn their language. The Huragok performed the physical labor of excavating and gathering data on Forerunner artifacts. In military terms, they were generally a non-militant race. Many of the Huragok joined the Sangheili during the Great Schism. Military The Covenant maintained pervasive armed forces to enforce order, conduct atmospheric and space combat operations, and generally carry out the Covenant's will throughout space. Unlike the UNSC, however, the Covenant lacked a single unified military arm, and its armed forces were instead comprised of several organizations overseen by various ministerial bodies. The Covenant's military capability was most overtly embodied in its spaceborne fleets, ranging from small battle groups to entire armadas. Various task-based groups served under these fleets, including the occupational ground forces and the Special Warfare Group, which contained the Special Operations Division. Covenant troops were heavily segregated by species, with the Sangheili originally serving as their leadership caste. In the field, Unggoy were deployed as cannon fodder files, Kig-Yar were used as support and snipers, and Sangheili were commanders and fought in warrior lances. Weapons and technology were restricted by species and rank; only Sangheili received personal energy shields and energy swords, only Kig-Yar received point defense gauntlets, and Unggoy only received basic weapons and armor depending by rank. The reasons for these restrictions were often cultural; for instance, Sangheili viewed wielding shield gauntlets as dishonorable and that "lesser species" did not deserve their privileged weapons. This discrimination among the Covenant military was centuries old, but the dynamic was occasionally changed by violent rebellion. The Unggoy Rebellion caused Sangheili to mix their units with Unggoy and give them better training. Likewise, the Great Schism put Jiralhanae in command of former Sangheili units, gave them personal shielded armor, and made their tribal packs a prominent military unit. Technology Covenant technology has been often described as more imitative rather than innovative, as they are based largely on mimicry and reverse-engineering of the leftover Forerunner artifacts they have discovered. Such examples are their exceedingly accurate slipspace navigation, near-instantaneous interstellar communication, the manipulation of extremely high volumes of plasma energy from sublight travel, short-range translocation of matter, a great influence over gravity and repulsor-based technologies, and man-portable application of energy manipulation. Much of the Covenant's rapid technological advancement was made by stripping Forerunner shield worlds of useful matériel early in the hegemony's existence. Although innovation is not one of the Covenant's strong suits, the Covenant has shown considerable advancement in bridging the technological gap with newly-encountered species. For example, in the first encounter of the Human-Covenant War, the Covenant learned of the humans' computer systems and of its language from salvaging human computer and network components from destroyed human ships. This knowledge benefited the Covenant greatly in understanding the humans' military operation, to the extent that the UNSC enacted the Cole Protocol to deter the Covenant from finding human colony worlds and Earth. In another scenario, during the preliminary of the Fall of Reach, the Covenant crippled Reach's telecommunication network to prevent the colony world from contacting reinforcements and placed numerous teleportation spires to deploy its forces without having to face directly with the planet's orbital defenses. In Covenant culture, there are religious taboos that prevent them from fully exploring what the Forerunners employed to create that technology. In some cases, Covenant technology imitates the effects of the Forerunner technology it is based on while the underlying science remains largely beyond their grasp. An example of this is the Covenant's predominant use of plasma in their weapons rather than the more exotic hard light and particle streams utilized by the Forerunners, or the Covenant's pinch fusion reactors in contrast to the Forerunners' ability to harness vacuum energy. The Covenant also never developed advanced AI technology due to their religious doctrine; they believed that a powerful AI had once betrayed the Forerunners, and as such they had a ban on actually sapient machine intelligences. The few Covenant AIs that have been encountered include an AI that was stationed aboard the Ascendant Justice and destroyed by Cortana, one based on the Truth and Reconciliation, as well as the Seeker, sent to infiltrate UNSC systems and alert the Covenant to the location of Earth. Cortana's copy also referenced several AIs being present in the Unyielding Hierophant's systems when the Spartans infiltrated the station. The Forerunners' ubiquitous hard light technology was never completely understood by the Covenant, although they managed to develop at least one hard light-based device in the Prelates' shield gauntlets. However, they did possess advanced energy field shaping and complex holography. This technology was advanced enough to produce realistic and tangible simulacra of physical objects. The holo-drone, for example, generates an independent decoy of the operator capable of inflicting physical harm on the enemy despite its incorporeal nature; the T-27 holographic decoy is a more basic variation of this concept. The Covenant applied forcefield technology in a broad range of roles, from the San'Shyuum's spherical stasis fields to contain beverages such as tea to the enormous fields used to hold in High Charity's atmosphere while the holy city's exterior dome was still under construction. Covenant architecture is known for its curved, organic and sophisticated looking style, primarily based on the aesthetic tastes of the San'Shyuum with loose connections with Sangheili designs. Even military vehicles were fashioned after San'Shyuum aesthetics early on, incorporating many of the Sangheili designs over the Covenant's history. Constructed of distinctive purple, blue or white metal, these colors are the main focus of Covenant design and distributed throughout their starships, vehicles, and weapons. The materials they use are unknown to the UNSC but are very strong and resilient. The Covenant possess a variety of medical technologies, including the life-extension treatments the San'Shyuum have used for some time. The San'Shyuum Prelates were also know to have used a form of biological augmentation to greatly enhance their normally frail bodies. As an idiosyncrasy of their warrior culture, the Sangheili view the notion of doctors as dishonorable. However, as injuries are an inevitable byproduct of combat, the Covenant military still employs a number of medical amenities. Among these are automated surgery suites, featured on Covenant ships to treat wounds received in combat, and magnetic splints which are used to hold broken bones in place. The Huragok (both the common Builder kind and the Lifeworker variation) also provided medical aid in addition to their primary role of maintaining Covenant technology. It was known that even after suffering major injuries, after only minutes of treatment the patient would feel back to normal without as much as a scar to show for it. Spacecraft For the Covenant species, interstellar travel was made easy due to the reverse-engineered technology. Like humans, Covenant vessels can enter Slipstream space and travel significantly faster than light. However, the Covenant equivalent of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine is far more efficient and reliable, relying on a series of "micro-jumps" to maneuver through the slipstream. Covenant vessels do not suffer the "temporal fluidity" of faster-than-light to such a degree as human vessels, arriving at the precise time and location that they intend. However, after a slipspace jump Covenant vessels generally experience a temporary power outage, leaving the vessel vulnerable to attack. As a result, Covenant battlegroups are much more efficient when acting as a coordinated group, and can strike more quickly and decisively. Covenant starships use repulsor engines for propulsion in space, rather than the more traditional fusion engines utilized by humanity or the advanced reaction drives used by Forerunners. Covenant drive systems seem to be propelled by an unusual combination of gravity "waves" and some form of highly reactive plasma displacement, but the actual means and method of propulsion is currently beyond human understanding. Both starships and ground vehicles are equipped with various forms of anti-gravity technology, allowing ships to hover easily inside an atmosphere and allowing frictionless movement of vehicles across terrain. The Covenant are also able to manipulate exceedingly large amounts of plasma energy by recycling detritus from sublight travel. Covenant manufacturing plants, such as the Assembly Forges, employ highly sophisticated manufacturing methods which allow them considerable freedom in the design of individual ships. While all Covenant vessels fall into one of several universal design patterns, every ship can be custom-made to fit the preferences of individual shipbuilders and fleet masters. Weaponry Most of the Covenant arsenal consists of plasma-based directed energy weapons, but the Covenant are known to also utilize pulse lasers, particle beam weapons, antimatter explosives and even chemical crystal-based weapons. Interestingly, Covenant weapon designs seem to defy known laws of mechanics; there is typically no form of radiative, physical, or electrical contact between the firing mechanism and "trigger" of a weapon. For these and other reasons, the workings of Covenant weaponry is generally beyond the comprehension of UNSC scientists. Plasma weapons typically use a rechargeable power cell to provide power to their internal components. Covenant plasma weapons are effective but crude, and most automatic-fire plasma weapons are prone to overheating. To compensate, most weapons have vents that open to discharge excess heat and plasma when they overheat, although such weapons are rendered inoperable as the excess heat is dissipated. Once the energy of the plasma weapon is depleted, it must be recharged or discarded. To date, the means by which plasma weapons can be recharged is still unknown to UNSC forces. The most remarkable handheld plasma projectile weapons are a variety of plasma pistol (by far the most widely used small arm) and the plasma rifle. Notable vehicular plasma weapons include various cannons and mortars, while warships are armed primarily with plasma torpedo turrets. Though rarer, the Covenant occasionally use projectile weapons, the most common of these being unconventional crystal-based weapons such as the Type-33 Needler and the Type-31 needle rifle. These weapons appear to use some type of chemical that forms a hard, razor-sharp crystal on contact with the atmosphere; the material is mined on Suban, one of Sanghelios' moons. Certain medium- to long-range weapons fire these crystals at high speeds, allowing them to strike targets accurately at long distance. Other mid-range weapons fire them at very slow speeds, and through unknown means "steer" them towards enemy targets. Needles fired in either of these ways will penetrate the flesh or armor of a target, and several seconds after coming to rest will explode into thousands of tiny, sharp fragments that can maim or cripple a target. When a certain number of needles have penetrated the same target, they will detonate simultaneously, producing a much larger explosion that kills the target instantly. With the introduction of the Jiralhanae as a major military caste within the Covenant, their weapons found widespread use among their own kind. Utilizing crude, spike-like metal projectiles in place of plasma; conventional explosives and incendiaries; and sharp blades, they are more primitive, yet in many cases more dangerous -fitting, considering the nature of their creators. Brute weapons include the Spiker carbine, the Mauler shotgun-pistol, and the Brute Shot grenade launcher. The Covenant employ melee weapons in addition to their already fearsome arsenal. The best known is the energy sword, used solely by the Sangheili. Creating a double blade of superheated plasma, it has both ceremonial and martial value to Sangheili warriors and its possession is closely monitored. Another is the Jiralhanae gravity hammer, which seems to be the Brutes' cultural equivalent to the energy sword. However, rather than using a blade of plasma, it generates a gravitational field which can cause tremendous damage within a several-meter radius. Vehicles Covenant vehicles use advanced anti-gravity technology for propulsion, and are armed with directed-energy weaponry of varying potency. Though often faster than their UNSC counterparts, Covenant vehicles are more unstable over uneven terrain where the sudden changes affect handling. All Covenant vehicles (except for Jiralhanae vehicles) and structures are made from a purple or dark blue type of metal, said to be much more advanced than any alloy known to humans, and all Covenant vehicles are nicknamed after some kind of supernatural entity by the UNSC, except for Excavators. Recently, Jiralhanae vehicles and technology have been incorporated into the Covenant's arsenal. Though more primitive, they serve the Jiralhanae's need for power. Jiralhanae vehicles are not named after spiritual entities, and rather than being a series of Covenant vehicles are regarded as native Jiralhanae technology. Sphere of influence The Covenant's expansive interstellar empire was based within the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, with the mobile holy city High Charity as their capital. At the height of its power, the Covenant encompassed thousands of systems. Befitting its vastness, the governance of the Covenant's interstellar dominion was highly complex; occasionally worlds or entire sub-domains vanished from the records maintained at High Charity, only for contact to be re-established decades later. The High Council was responsible for the administration of these interstellar territories, assigning tithes and levies, and allocating resources across the numerous member worlds. San'Shyuum governors handled administrative duties on a local scale; most of them joined the rest of the species on their mass exodus during the Great Schism. Some species, such as the Kig-Yar and Lekgolo, had created colonies of their own before their incorporation into the Covenant. These worlds would be absorbed into the empire after the species joined the Covenant. Covenant space would grow to include new worlds as the hegemony expanded throughout the spiral arm, and even Forerunner installations were settled by the Covenant. Despite the massive size of the empire, the Covenant would generally leave a newly discovered world untouched, unless the world held religious or practical significance. Base worlds established by the Sangheili were considered the Covenant's primary worlds. Since the incorporation of the Jiralhanae, the San'Shyuum settled them on resource-rich worlds to guard them from anyone seeking to claim them for themselves, although the Jiralhanae lacked the ability to mine the resources themselves. After the dissolution of the Covenant and the exodus of the local San'Shyuum governors, many of the Covenant's colonies fell under the control of the hegemony's various splinter factions, while others were claimed by unaffiliated members of the Covenant client species, especially the Sangheili or Kig-Yar. Some worlds were contested between species and governments, while Joint Occupation Zones were established between the Unified Earth Government and the Swords of Sanghelios to allow colonies to be administrated by multiple species. Known colonies *Urs system **Sanghelios – Sangheili homeworld **Qikost – Sangheili colony **Suban – Sangheili colony *Oth Sonin system **Doisac – Jiralhanae homeworld **Warial – Jiralhanae colony **Teash – Jiralhanae colony *Tala system **Balaho – Unggoy homeworld **Buwan – Small Covenant outpost colony *Y'Deio system **Ap'ot – Orbital port city **Chu'ot Eayn – Kig-Yar homeworld **Dal'koth – Kig-Yar asteroid colony **T'vao – T'vaoan asteroid homeworld *Napret system **Palamok – Yanme'e homeworld **Ka'amoti – Yanme'e colony **Oquiu – Yanme'e colony *Svir system **Te – Lekgolo homeworld **Rantu – Lekgolo colony **Rentus – Lekgolo colony *51 Pegasi system **51 Pegasi B **Pegasi Delta – Home to a starship fuel refinery and staging area *Salia system **Saepon'kal – Sangheili fortress world. Devastated by orbital NOVA bomb detonation in 2552 **Salia III *Korfo system **Station of Constant Sustenance – Resupply station; decommissioned following the Covenant's collapse, stripped for valuable components since *Ealen system **Ealen IV – Industrial world; terraformed to produce plasma *Ven system **Ven III Worlds in unknown systems *Malurok (Decided Heart) – Sangheili base planet *K7-49 – Major shipyard. Sabotaged by SPARTAN-III Alpha Company in 2537 *Weeping Shadows of Sorrow – Covenant penitentiary world *Heian – A world with a significant logistics base *Duraan – A sparsely populated Sangheili frontier colony *Janjur Qom – San'Shyuum homeworld *Oth Lodon – Gas giant located near the Jiralhanae home system *Hesduros – Remote Sangheili colony *Karava – Backwater Sangheili colony in contested space *Rahnelo – A Sangheili frontier colony *Ulgethon – Ancient Sangheili colony *Yonhe – Yonhet homeworld *Unidentified moon – home to a Forerunner excavation site attacked by SPARTAN-III Headhunters *Glyke - Sangheili colony and major shipyard. Destroyed by Gray Team just after the end of the Human-Covenant War Known Superweapons *Installation 3: Installation 03, also referred to as Gamma Halo, appears in Halo 4. It is monitored by 049 Abject Testament and is located in the Khaphrae system, orbiting a damaged planet. Whilst no gameplay takes place on the installation, an extremely dense asteroid field surrounding the installation is the site of the UNSC scientific research base Ivanoff. It is here that UNSC scientists are conducting experiments on the Forerunner artifact called the Composer, which has the ability to convert biological forms, specifically humans, into AIs. After the game's antagonist, the Didact, activates the device, the UNSC base is left uninhabited. Halo: Escalation, a series of comics which follows many events after Halo 4, establishes that 049 Abject Testament has long disappeared from the ring, leading a monitor to arrive at the Installation, just to be ambushed by a still living Didact, using the Installation to use the Composer. *Installation 4: Installation 04, also referred to as Alpha Halo, appears in Halo: Combat Evolved. The majority of gameplay takes place in areas on this installation, and its exploration drives the story. The ring was managed by an artificial intelligence known as 343 Guilty Spark, and is located in the Soell system, dominated by a gas giant known as Threshold. Halo orbits Threshold's only satellite, an extremely large moon known as Basis. A group of humans aboard the ship Pillar of Autumn crash-land on the ring after being pursued by the alien Covenant. The ring holds religious significance to the aliens, while the humans believe it is a weapon that could turn the tide of the war against the Covenant in their favor. In reality, the ring is home to a virulent parasite called the Flood, which is accidentally released by the Covenant and threatens to infest the galaxy. The human soldier Master Chief eventually detonates the Pillar of Autumn's reactors in order to destabilize the ring and cause it to break up, preventing the spread of the Flood and the activation of the Halo network, which would kill all sentient life as a fail-safe to starve the Flood. The Ark was alerted to its destruction and proceeded to create another ring, which, too, was destroyed by Master Chief. During the game's events, Guilty Spark alludes to a previous firing of the network, which Bungie's director of cinematics Joseph Staten said occurred around 100,000 years previous to the events of the game in the year 2552. After Installation 04 was destroyed, a shard of the ring was sent through slipspace to orbit a red giant. The supernova-like detonation of the Pillar of Autumn creates a new element on the ring shard which is fatal to humans. Appearing in Halo: Nightfall, the shard is visited by a team of ONI operatives and colonial militia following a terrorist attack with the new element. With only a limited time before the shard's sunrise kills them, the team struggles to destroy the deposits and capture the smugglers mining it. Only two of the team manage to escape while Colonel Randall Aiken, a former Spartan supersoldier, sacrifices himself to destroy the deposits with a nuclear weapon. *Installation 5: During the events of Halo 2, the Covenant and humans discover a second ringworld, Installation 05, or Delta Halo. It was monitored by 2401 Penitent Tangent, who completely ignored Flood warnings and was captured by their leader, the Gravemind. The Covenant leadership wants to activate the installation, believing it is the key to their salvation. At the same time, the Flood lay siege to the Covenant's city-ship, High Charity. After 343 Guilty Spark informs Halo's true purpose to the Arbiter, a Covenant holy warrior, and warns him of the danger that the Halos truly represent, a group of humans and Covenant Elites prevent the firing of the ring. The unexpected shutdown activates a fail-safe protocol, priming the remaining Halo installations for remote activation from a location known as The Ark. In Halo 4, it is revealed that the UNSC has created an oversight base on the Installation (or around it), as they did with Installation 03. *The Ark: The Ark, also referred to as Installation 00, is located outside the Milky Way galaxy and serves as the construction and control station for the Halo weapon system. It does not share the ringworld geometry of the other installations. During Halo 3, the Covenant discover a portal on Earth that leads to the Ark and are pursued by the humans and a breakaway faction of Covenant opposed to activating the rings. Gravemind, having hijacked High Charity, crash-lands on the installation. The remote firing of the rings is halted by Master Chief and the Arbiter. In order to end the threat of the Flood, Master Chief decides to activate Installation 08 under construction in The Ark, the replacement for the Halo that he destroyed in Halo: Combat Evolved. Unknown to everyone but 343 Guilty Spark, a premature firing would destroy the installation; the monitor attempted to defend 'his' ring but was destroyed by Master Chief, who proceeded to fire the weapon. The firing tears apart the incomplete Halo and severely damages The Ark as Master Chief, Cortana, and the Arbiter try to escape through the Portal, which closes as they enter, leaving Master Chief and Cortana drifting in space while the Arbiter returns to Earth successfully. The Ark appears in other Halo novels and the video game Halo Wars 2. *Installation 8: A replacement for Installation 04 that is constructed by the Ark upon the original's destruction in Halo: Combat Evolved. Identical to the original ring, the replacement is mostly complete when the Ark is found a few months after the destruction of Installation 04, but is unfinished enough that parts of its superstructure are visible. Cortana describes it as "so new, unfinished." After the death of the Prophet of Truth, the new ring rises from the Ark's Foundry in front of the Master Chief and the Arbiter who realize that the ring, disconnected from the rest of the network and safely outside the Milky Way galaxy, can be fired to destroy the local infestation on the Ark without harming anything else. After rescuing Cortana from High Charity, the Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson attempt to fire the ring, angering 343 Guilty Spark who knows that doing so will destroy the installation in its present state and heavily damage the Ark. Spark kills Johnson, but is destroyed by the Master Chief before Cortana fires the installation. The Master Chief and the Arbiter manage to escape aboard the Forward Unto Dawn, but the ring's firing causes the Portal to close, severing the ship in half and stranding the Master Chief in space. Firing Installation 08 ends the Flood infestation upon the Ark and destroys the Gravemind and itself. However, in Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare, Flood infection forms are revealed to have survived in the ruins of High Charity and are accidentally unleashed again by the Banished before the Flood are contained once more. *Installation 9: In Halo Wars 2, a second replacement for Installation 04 is found nearly complete on the Ark by the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire. With no way back to human space, the crew decides to launch the replacement ring with a distress beacon aboard to Installation 04's original position, thereby signaling for help. A conflict with the Banished occurs on the installation, but Professor Ellen Anders, after disarming the ring's superweapon, is able to take control of the installation's gravity anchors and launch part of its landmass into space, killing the Banished forces. The ring and Anders enter slipspace, but are pulled out prematurely by a construct known as a Guardian.